Automated teller machine with escrow

Abstract

An Automated Teller Machine has a housing having an aperture through which documents may pass between the interior and the exterior of the housing. At least one escrow area is defined in the housing. A document transport system extends within the housing for the transport of documents between the aperture and the escrow area.

What is claimed is: 
     
       1. An automated teller machine, comprising:
 a lower unit including:
 a chest including one or more storage cassettes for storing documents; and 
 
 an upper unit including:
 a housing having an opening through which documents can pass between the interior and the exterior of the housing, and defining an access opening separate from the opening through which documents can pass; 
 a document receiver proximate the opening for receiving documents to be deposited into or dispensed from the automated teller machine; 
 an escrow area defined within the housing where the escrow area includes an escrow cassette disposed within the housing, where the escrow cassette is removable from the housing through the access opening; 
 a document transport system extending within the housing between the opening and the one or more storage cassettes and capable of transporting documents to and from the one or more storage cassettes and where the document transport system extends between the escrow area and the lower unit to transport documents between the escrow cassette and the one or more storage cassettes; and 
 
 a validator disposed within the housing along a path of the document transport system for identification and categorization of documents 
 wherein the documents are routed along the document transport system based at least in part upon the categorization by the validator, and 
 wherein removal of notes from the one or more storage cassettes is enabled by upload operation to the escrow cassette and removal of the escrow cassette from the housing, and replenishment of notes to the one or more storage cassettes is enabled by insertion of the escrow cassette into the housing and download operation to the one or more storage cassettes. 
 
     
     
       2. The automated teller machine of  claim 1 , where the housing has a front fascia and the opening through which documents can pass is formed in the front fascia. 
     
     
       3. The automated teller machine of  claim 2  further comprising a user interface including a display, where the display is disposed in the front fascia. 
     
     
       4. The automated teller machine of  claim 3  where the access opening is opposite the front fascia. 
     
     
       5. The automated teller machine of  claim 4 , where the escrow area is spaced from the front fascia. 
     
     
       6. The automated teller machine of  claim 1  where the document transport system is configured to transport documents between the escrow area and the document receiver. 
     
     
       7. The automated teller machine of  claim 6  where the validator is configured to identify and categorize documents when in transit between the escrow area and the document receiver. 
     
     
       8. The automated teller machine of  claim 1  where the escrow area is configured to allow for the addition or subtraction of documents from the housing directly from the escrow area. 
     
     
       9. An automated teller machine, comprising:
 an upper unit including:
 a housing having a front fascia with an opening formed in the front fascia through which documents can pass between the interior and the exterior of the housing, the housing defining an access opening opposite the front fascia; 
 a document receiver proximate the opening for receiving documents to be deposited into or dispensed from the automated teller machine; 
 an escrow area defined within the housing including an escrow cassette disposed within the housing where the escrow cassette is removable from the housing through the access opening; and 
 a document transport system extending within the housing between the opening and the escrow cassette and capable of transporting documents to and from the escrow cassette; and 
 a validator disposed within the housing along a path of the document transport system for identification and categorization of documents 
 
 wherein the documents are routed along the document transport system based at least in part upon the categorization by the validator, and 
 wherein removal of notes from the automated teller machine is enabled by upload operation to the escrow cassette and removal of the escrow cassette from the housing, and replenishment of notes to the automated teller machine enabled by insertion of the escrow cassette into the housing and download operation. 
 
     
     
       10. The automated teller machine of  claim 9  further comprising a user interface including a display, where the display is disposed in the front fascia. 
     
     
       11. The automated teller machine of  claim 9 , where the escrow area is spaced from the front fascia. 
     
     
       12. The automated teller machine of  claim 9 , further comprising a chest including one or more storage cassettes for storing documents, and where the document transport system further extends between the escrow cassette and the chest to transport documents between the escrow area and one or more of the storage cassettes. 
     
     
       13. The automated teller machine of  claim 9  where the document transport system is configured to transport documents between the escrow area and the document receiver. 
     
     
       14. The automated teller machine of  claim 9  where the validator is configured to identify and categorize documents when in transit between the escrow area and the document receiver. 
     
     
       15. The automated teller machine of  claim 9  where the escrow area is configured to allow for the addition or subtraction of documents from the housing directly from the escrow area.